Transforming the Law: Essays on Technology, Justice and the Legal Marketplace [Hardcover]

Richard Susskind (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198299222 | ISBN-13: 978-0198299226 | Publication Date: March 1, 2001 | Edition: First Edition

This is the latest book from law and technology guru Richard Susskind, author of the best-selling The Future of Law. It brings together in one volume eleven significant essays on the application of IT to legal practice and the administration of justice, including Susskind's very latest thinking on key topics like knowledge management and the impact of electronic commerce.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`The broad diversity of the subject matter will mean that different sections of the book will appeal to students and practitioners with an interest in the area, as well as to academics, the judiciary and indeed anyone with a role to play in developing strategies for the application of the law. ... Susskind is obviously passionate about the role of IT in enabling greater access to justice for a broader spread of the population, and this comes across in his writing. ... This work is a relatively comprehensive collection of Susskind's thinking on those developments likely over the next decade and beyond, and as such it should be required reading for anyone considering strategic of implementation issues. The structure and tone of the book is relaxed, and overall it succeeds in making complex principles understandable to a wide audience.' The Cambridge Law Journal, Vol. 61, Part 2, July 2002

`The author cleverly uses his four-celled grid to move from the more abstract general concepts that were the currency of The Future of Law through a series of increasingly concrete levels until he is talking about specific applications of technology to legal business. ... Part I is, I feel, an invaluable guide for law firms on how to exploit the business challenges and avoid the pitfalls of the information society. ... It unquestionably demonstrates Susskind's remarkable range, versatility and influence as jurisprudent, legal business guru, government strategist and visionary. ... this is an important book which should be read.' Robin Widdison, International Journal of Law and Information Technology, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2002

`Richard Susskind has made significant contributions to the evaluation of information technology ... in the legal domain. ... will be of interest to those who ... are looking for an efficient and up-to-date compilation. ... Richard Susskind continues to be an important voice in evaluating the impact of IT on the legal profession. His past and continuing contributions are such that any new book he produces deserves the attention of the legal community. Transforming the Law is no exception.' International Business Lawyer, 1 Oct 2002

`Professor Richard Susskind may be the most important thinker and writer on the subject of the legal profession today, and the essays in Transforming the Law are as provocative as his prescient 1996 book The Future of Law. ... Transforming is provocative but extremely valuable thinking on the future. The initial incredulous reaction to Future has been replaced over the years by acceptance and recognition. The bold prediction and prescriptions of Transforming should therefore be digested and considered seriously by all who have an interest in the future of the legal profession ...' Ward Bower AW website, 16.7.01

`Richard Susskind is the nearest thing the law has to an e-guru ... Admirably clear, user-friendly and comprehensive in its focus on law, these essays are the nearest thing we have to a primer. As such they should be required reading for anyone faced with the task of dragging a firm into the new reality or coming to terms with what law will be in the new world.' The Lawyer, 9 July 2001

`There can be no one who cannot learn something new ... this is a vivacious and entertaining introduction to the use of technology in legal practice and the system of justice generally.....It has been produced to the publisher's customary high standards' Professor Colin Tapper, Law Quarterly Review, July 2001

`Both through his writings and through his work as a consultant to Lord Woolf and others, Prof. Susskind has had a profound influence on the practice of the law in the past decade. These essays provide a good indication of his power of analysis and of the originality of much of his thinking. His vision is clear. Lawyers must embrace IT. ... these essays are a work of scholarship - but they also contain a mass of practical advice.' Financial Times 23 April 2001

`poses a number of interesting questions and challenges for the law and is well worth investigation.' E-Commerce - Germany

`How should lawyers use emerging technologies to develop their practices? Richard Susskind's latest book Transforming the Law, published by Oxford University Press, provides the most exciting exposition of this largely new subject ... This vision of the future of law is something all lawyers should take extremely seriously else their livelihoods could be in jeopardy ... Transforming the Law is a must for all lawyers who take other than a short-term view of their businesses.' John Angel, Electronic Business Law

`His comments merit careful study by both lawyers and non-lawyers because they are written by someone who has the experience and the skill to analyse the ways in which legal services are currently delivered and to forecast the changes that lie ahead.' Sir Brian Neill, Financial Times

About the Author

Professor Richard Susskind OBE FRSE DPhil LIB FBCS is one of the leading experts in the application of IT to law. He has specialized in that field for nineteen years and, since 1997, has been an independent adviser to various parts of government and for large private sector firms and companies. He lectures and consults internationally. He is past chairman of the Society for Computers and Law (1990-92), was Lord Woolf's IT Adviser during the Access to Justice Inquiry (1995-96), and was appointed IT Adviser to the Lord Chief Justice in 1998. Since 1990, he has been Visiting Professor to the Centre for Law, Computers and Technology, at Strathclyde University. In 1999, he was appointed by the Cabinet Office to the Modernising Government Project Board. In the Christmas Honours his services to Legal Justice were acknowledged with an OBE. He has published two of his four books with OUP, see below. And has been General Editor of The International Journal for Law and Information Technology

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198299222
• ISBN-13: 978-0198299226
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,727,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful Insights Into Legal Tech Strategies, June 10, 2001

By 

Jerry Lawson (Burke, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Transforming the Law: Essays on Technology, Justice and the Legal Marketplace (Hardcover)

This wonderful book is very different from most legal technology books, which concentrate on tactics: which word processor to choose, which case management system is best, how to secure an intranet. This book concentrates instead on the strategic implications of new technology, especially the Internet, on the legal profession.

One of the highlights of the book is helping lawyers understand why large accounting/consulting firms are a threat, and how lawyers can compete more effectively. The book is also good at showing ways to do what consultant Tom Peters has called "baking a new pie." Instead of merely competing more intensely for known existing markets, create a new market that you will dominate.

This is the most important book I have ever read about the impact of technology on law firms.

Jerry Lawson, Author of The Complete Internet Handbook for Lawyers (ABA 1999)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A prescient analysis of where law will soon be, March 13, 2002

By 

Ernest E. Svenson "Ernie the Attorney" (New Orleans, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Transforming the Law: Essays on Technology, Justice and the Legal Marketplace (Hardcover)

What impact is the Internet revolution having on the practice of law? If you read most mainstream legal publications you would think the answer is very little. Or you might sense that most of the change has occurred already. Richard Susskind understands the larger forces that are going to dictate how law is practiced in the immediate future. His explanation is cogent, well thought-out, and compelling.

The idea that market forces will compel lawyers to provide better services to a larger class of people at a lower cost is not something that most lawyers want to hear. Of course, travel agents didn't want to hear that people were going to start booking their own travel online either (same with stock brokers).

If you have read and enjoyed the Cluetrain Manifesto then check this book out, even if you only have a passing interest in the law. If you are a lawyer and expect to be practicing for another ten years then to ignore the ideas expressed in Susskind's book is dangerous.